Hello
I am plotting our driving routes using Google maps. I know I can (and will) download the copies to my phone.
What I am trying to sort out is how reliable I can (reasonably) expect cell coverage to be if we change our route or run into road closures.
Dublin to Sligo
Sligo to Galway
Galway to Shannon
As you can see, a lot of our travel will be in the West, through more wild areas than cities.
What's been your experience?
Thanks
In April/May I drove from Shannon airport to the Cliffs of Moher to Dingle by way of the Killimer Ferry and Connor Pass. Did the Slea Head loop drive. Drove from Dingle through Killarney and down to Kenmare over to Bandon; Bandon to Kinsale to Clonakilty and back; Bandon to Tipperary to Cashel to Dublin; Dublin to Dublin Airport. All by using google maps. It only sort of failed once when it didn't know there was an automobile race happening in Killarney National Park and that I couldn't drive through it, but otherwise was great. I would largely just type "[City I'm going to] Parking", pick a lot and be on my way.
I was on the RS Ireland tour last month and followed a lot of our route on Google Maps. I don't recall any loss of coverage, but I wasn't following the route all the time. (There was some scenery to look at.) With T-Mobile I didn't have roaming charges. Of course I wasn't trying to navigate, just kibitzing while our excellent bus driver got us everywhere.
We used "Here WeGo" car navigation when driving through Ireland in 2019. You can download the maps you require and use it without cell service. It worked fine even for very minor roads.
If you download the maps to your phone, it won’t matter if you have cell service. Google maps worked very well in Spain recently. We still have a Garmin for backup.
I can confirm that pre-downloading maps and operating the phone in airplane mode works fine. Your phone has a GPS that is independent of the cell service. If you download all the maps you need before you leave (or get new ones each day when you have wifi service), you should have no problems. My one recommendation is to check the route before you leave for your destination. Use the main roads. Aim for the public parking lot near your destination. Otherwise, you might be sent across some farmer's field or have to parallel park on the wrong side of the road, shifting with the wrong hand and looking over the wrong shoulder.;
I agree with all the above about the reliability of Offline Google Maps in Ireland. On one trip, I had a private coach driver who ran out of cell service probably just north of The Burren so his Google Maps were not working - while sitting right behind him, my Offline Google Maps were just fine. On another trip, I drove myself with offline maps and had no trouble.
